Fighter
by InfinitelySilver
Summary: Join Lin in her illness as she learns what it truly means to become a fighter. Rated T to be safe. Linzin. Review please! :
1. Prologue

Prologue

_His relationship with the Chief of Police had been short, useless, and only for a temporary pleasure. He had used her and she had complied, most unwittingly. It was the perfect heist, as it had been the girl's first intimate relationship… The game plan had changed though, when she had gotten pregnant. _

Jin felt adrenaline rush through his body as he sprinted to turn the final corner. The house he was looking for stood at the end, standing high and proud above every other residence in the neighborhood. It was the house of Toph Beifong, Chief Police of Republic City's metalbenders. She was also the girl he had rendered pregnant.

He reached the house within five minutes, having stopped at a small vendor to buy a cheap, but nonetheless pretty, rose. Had the man known that Toph wasn't one for meaningless pleasantries and stupid gifts, he would have invested more wisely in a suit of armor. But since that wasn't the case, he knocked on the ebony door and awaited for an answer.

And that answer was a bruised rib. From the concrete stairs, rose a pillar which knocked him off of the Beifong house's porch and onto the dirty ground. The door opened only a second later.

~~O~~

Toph Beifong's lip curled into a snarl as her feet laid eyes on Jin for the first time in four months. She had sensed it had been him at the door of course, but now, she could really _see_ him, the pathetic low-life who had knocked her up without any consideration to how it would changed her life. The pathetic low-life who has used her, defiled her, and then dumped her, just because he had received a better offer. The pathetic low-life who would now pay, pay for ever messing with Toph Beifong.

"You've got ten seconds to explain what you're doing here before I make your life miserable." she snarled, her milky eyes focused on the man on the ground.

Jin remained silent as he shook with fear. Toph laughed mockingly. "I bet you were expecting me to be some crying, sniveling idiot who would listen to anything you said. Guess again."

"T-toph, I never meant to hurt you… I've c-come to ask for your f-forgiveness and t-to tell y-you something." The man stammered, pulling himself into a standing position. Toph was of half of the mind to knock him back down again.

"Save your lies for some other girl. Oh wait, you already did that. Remember?" Toph said scathingly before brushing a loose strand of her ebony hair out of her face. She wanted to appear as intimidating and in control as possible, not crazy and to the brink of exhaustion.

"I s-see that the baby is growing well." Jin said, attempting to change the subject. His eyes were now focused on the rounded figure Toph's abdomen was now cutting. It was outlined more prominently by her form fitting metalbending armor, something she pained to notice.

"Oh look, your ten seconds are up. Hold on tight! It's gonna be a rough ride."

"NO! WAIT!"

Toph paused. Her foot was almost touching the ground ready to earthbend Jin's sorry butt out of her neighborhood.

"What is it now Jin? Just tell me what you came here for. I've got a night shift tonight and I can't afford to be late."

"Fine, I'll cut to the chase. My family is known for their hereditary brain t-tumors… They've been in there for as long as we've known. My mother had it, my brother and sister had it, and there's the possibility our baby could have it. I just wanted to let you know…"

That was it. That was the final straw.

"SHUT UP YOU LYING PIECE OF FILTH. She's not _our _baby. She's _mine._ And I think the only reason you came here today was to see what _else _you could get out of me. But you know what, I've grown smarter and I'm not going to let you get anything else from me or my baby!"

"No Toph! That's no-"

Jin never got the chance to finish his sentence. Another rock pillar emerged from the ground, hitting him and sending him on his way to the Yue Bay.

Toph smirked and listened to his increasingly distant, but continuous screams for a moment before going inside to finish getting ready… She couldn't help but worrying though, if Jin's words had been true.

**A/N: Was it just me or did Toph seem not-canon? I may just be fretting, but still, let me know!**

**Jin means gold, metal, money in the Chinese language. **


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: 

"Mom, I've got a headache." Lin complained as she strolled into the living room. Her mom, tired after a full night's worth of work, was lying on the couch, dead asleep, well _seemingly. _The Chief of Police shot up from her slumber at the sound of her daughter's voice. It was a habit she had picked up from the days of Yakone, the days of when a crazy bloodbender sought to rule Republic City and would remove any obstacle in his way… Toph, her mother being one of them. The ten year old remembered the nights her mom would crawl into her room and into her bed, sobbing and holding her daughter with everything she had. It was a terrifying time for the two of them and Lin shuddered at the memory before watching her mother swing her legs to the ground so she could get a good look at her daughter, who looked horrible, well at least in the daughter's opinion anyway.

"Come here kiddo and sit by me. I'll give you a little checkup." Lin obliged and carefully made her way to the seat next to her mom. Her head throbbed with each movement, but that pain paled in comparison when Toph put a slender hand to her forehead. It hurt. … Tremendously.

"Well, you don't have a fever…" Her mother said, withdrawing her hand.

"But Mom, can't you just see that I feel sick? Oh wait, uh never mind… Sorry."

Toph merely just brushed it off with a laugh. "Don't worry; your Uncle Sokka was bad about doing just the same thing… But anyway, I wasn't finished. I _was_ saying that, even though you don't have a fever, I'm going to let you stay home from the academy so I can take you to see Aunt Katara. She'll fix you right up. After all, she doesn't have the title 'best healer in the world' for nothing."

Lin smiled, despite her aching head before wrapping her arms around her mom and snuggling up against her soft pajamas.

"Thanks Mom."

"No problem kiddo, no problem at all."

~~O~~

The two Beifongs, having sent a letter to Aang beforehand notifying him of their visitation, were now waiting by the docks leading into the Yue Bay, awaiting Aang and Tenzin. Her mom's old friend had quickly sent back a reply saying that if they would meet him at the docks, him and his son would carry them across the water on their air gliders. Lin could hardly wait, but not for the reasons one would suppose. Leaving the warm, embracing earth for the cold, unstable air was a nightmare for her, but if Lin had a choice, which she did, she would leave it for Tenzin, her best friend, and her crush. Well, sorta. They had a complicated relationship, a one-sided one at that.

"Hey Mom, I think my head is feeling a bit better." Lin said to take her mind off of her airbending friend. Her words she spoke were sincere though. Ever since her mom had choked some breakfast down into her, her head had cleared up slightly. The pain was still there, but not as prominently as it had been before. It was only late morning after all. Perhaps Lin had one of those temporary headaches, like the ones Mom got after work, or after getting more power bills from the City… She hoped so.

"That's great!" Toph replied, smiling. The smile didn't quite reach the rest of her face though, in Lin's observations at least. Ever since she had told her mom the news this morning, she hadn't been the same. In the last few hours, she had witnessed the 'unshakable' Chief of Police do _many_ things that a reporter would give their right arm and leg to see, knocking her head against a metal door repeatedly being one of those many things. Lin, considering that fact alone, didn't even want to know who that 'Jin' person was… Her mom had cursed him out a lot when she thought Lin wasn't listening. But of course, she was, and by the sounds of it, Toph didn't like 'Jin' very much.

"Hey kiddo, look up! I think I can hear two Twinkletoes circling around us." At the sound of her mother's voice, Lin looked up, and sure enough, she could make out Aang and Tenzin beginning their descent towards the two Beifongs. Aang, having many years on his son, came down quick and graceful. He landed with a light thump next to Toph with a smile. Tenzin on the other hand, was rather clumsy and landed shakily with a clang; he had fallen down. The three upright people laughed before she, Lin, hopped over to help him up. His cheeks were red with embarrassment.

"Thanks." Tenzin murmured before brushing his airbending attire off. His red cape, an unnecessary addition to the whole get up though, hung limply to his side, covered with tiny pieces of the dock. He stared at it with dismay before summoning a small current of wind to brush them off… That didn't solve the dirt stains though. Lin giggled at his troubles.

"Hey, don't laugh! My mommy made this cape for me." Lin laughed even harder before punching her friend affectionately in the arm.

"Don't be such a momma's boy, Tenzin." She said as she slung an arm around the airbender. Their parents were catching up, paying no mind to their two children.

"Like you aren't Lin!" he countered, sticking his tongue out mockingly. His gray eyes twinkled with laughter. Lin took this as a sign to mean that he wasn't really offended.

"Hey, well my mom's the only person I have." She reasoned, taking her arm out from around Tenzin's neck. Lin then pulled a hand through her long black hair. It was wavy and tangled in disarray. A simple green headband was the only thing that kept it from going 'sky bison' on her.

"That's not true! You have me." Tenzin protested before blushing. "M-me and my family, and Uncle Sokka, and Zuko, and Mai, and Honora, and…"

"Okay, okay! I get it. I wasn't thinking when I said that… You didn't have to list the whole group though. I know my own family." Some of those people, well none of those people mentioned weren't even bloodline related to her, but they were close enough to be though. "Now, let's go get our parents. We're not going to be young forever you know!"

~~O~~

A few minutes later, they had arrived on the front steps of the main temple where Aunt Katara was waiting for them with open arms… Literally. Lin was crushed by the enormity of her welcome hug. Not that she minded though. She loved Katara. She really was like an aunt to her.

"Oh Tenzin, what happened to your cape?" The blue clad woman asked, letting go of Lin finally. The black haired girl took a step back in an attempt to get some air. Aang only laughed playfully as he observed her.

"Nothing really. I just fell trying to land on the docks." Tenzin said shrugging. He had gotten over the dirt stains, knowing that his mom could fix them.

"Well, I wouldn't consider falling on the docks '_nothing really' _young man! I'll be up all night trying to get the stains out." Katara said indignantly as she turned Tenzin around to unclasp his cape. Lin sniggered at the expression on her friend's face… It was priceless.

"Katara, it is fine." Aang said soothingly before crossing over to his wife to rub her shoulders. "Why don't you let me handle the cape so you can check out Lin, okay?" The water tribe woman considered this for a moment before agreeing and handing the cape over to Aang, who was smiling. Victories with Katara were achieved with hard work… Usually.

"Wait! Why do you have to check up on Lin, Mom?" Tenzin asked, relinquishing his embarrassment. His face was now confused and worried. It mirrored Toph's face, much to Lin's dismay. She didn't want people to be throwing a pity party for her. It was just a headache. She'd be fine.

"Nothing really Tenzin. She just had a slight headache, that's all. Toph wanted me to check up on her though just to be safe."

"Well, I wouldn't considered a headache to be _'nothing really'_ Mom."

"Young man-"

"Twinkletoes Jr., Lin's gonna be fine. I'm just being careful like your mom said. Calm down." Her mom said. Lin looked up to see that Toph's face said otherwise, a sign that meant her mother knew something about her that she didn't. A sign that she really didn't like.

~~O~~

Lin was laid on a small, but elevated cot. Her mom and Katara stood over her, both conversing about nothing truly meaningful. This was their way of trying to calm her down probably… It wasn't working.

"Alright, Lin, are you ready? If I hurt you, just tell me to stop and I will." Green eyes met blue eyes as the raven haired girl nodded in assent. She was strong like her mother. She was brave just like Aang. She was a fighter like Uncle Sokka. And she was hopeful, just like Aunt Katara.

The Avatar's wife turned her body towards a small stool which she had placed next to Lin's cot. On it was a marble basin, full of water. Lin watched from the corner of her eye as Katara used waterbending to take the water out of the bowl and hold it to Lin's head without it spilling all over her. Of course, those weren't the more technical terms for what the blue clad woman was doing, but that's how Lin interpreted it.

The water felt cooling to her head. It alleviated the pain which had intensified a few minutes after she had crossed into the threshold of the temple. For some reason, the pain hadn't been so deep when she had been with Tenzin... Go figure.

Throughout the session, Katara's face remained blank, emotionless. It reminded Lin of Mai, Zuko's wife. She was good at hiding emotions… Really good. Lin wondered what emotions _Katara_ was hiding… And she wondered if they were good.

"I'm finished." Katara said wearily before replacing the water back in its bowl. She smiled down at Lin, who could see tears reflected in her eyes. She gulped. This could not be good. "You were very brave Lin. I'm proud of you. But now, I need you to go find Aang. Tell him to come in here. You can play with Tenzin." Lin sat up, swung her legs from off of the cot, and jumped down before running towards the exit. She needed to find Tenzin and she needed to find him fast. He could comfort her. Lin knew he could.

But as soon as she reached the door though, she heard Katara whisper something. It was quiet, but Lin could recognize the tone well. It was a tone she had once heard when she and her mom had to attend Uncle Iroh's funeral… A tone she had implied herself when her pet rabbitmonkey died of heart disease… A tone she heard amplified as her mother's wails tore through her soul as she raced out of the temple, straight into Aang and Tenzin.

**A/N: Thank-you to all those who have read and reviewed! I appreciate the time you guys have taken to do so! So as a gift, I decided to post this chapter tonight. It may be slightly rushed, but I'm proud of it! Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Whoa there, Lin! What's the prob-" Aang stopped, his stormy gray eyes meeting Lin's vivid green ones. A connection was made. The Avatar knew immediately that something was wrong and acted upon it by racing into the temple, his cloak flying in the wind behind him. Tenzin remained, his eyes focused on his friend… He wanted to go to her and cradle her in his arms, but couldn't. It would be… awkward. Or so he thought.

"W-what's going on Lin? Is it my Mom? Your's? Momo?"

The black haired girl merely shook her head before burying it in Tenzin's tunic. He replied by pulling her closer to him and holding her shaking frame tightly.

There was only one more question that remained.

"Is it you Lin?"

The only reply was a nod of the head.

~ ~ O ~ ~

They stood silently for a while, the trio did, each thinking what no one dared to say. They were stumped.

It was finally Toph who broke the silence.

"Why can't you heal her Katara? You're the best healer in the world!" she began hoarsely before slumping into the nearest seat. Her sightless eyes began shedding tears as she cocked her head in the general direction of her waterbending friend, a woman who was also shedding tears herself… She had never felt so hopeless before.

"I-I don't know why. There seems to be something lodged in her head that won't come out. It's like it has spread roots and ingrained itself in there. If I try and remove it, Lin could become mentally or physically disabled for the rest of her life." Katara replied, her head now in her hands. She wanted to try, she really wanted to. Lin was as dear to her as she was to anyone else! But the waterbender knew, deep down inside of her, that something would go wrong if she did. Katara would never forgive herself… Neither would Toph.

"Katara is right Toph… It's too risky. I think our best bet is to go and see a doctor or a specialist." Aang added in, his forehead creased in a frown. He himself disliked doctors and their sharp needles, but it was the best choice for Lin and he knew it.

"My daughter's life is not a bet Aang! It can't be! Because if I lose, that means I lose everything." Toph said, standing up. Her fists were clenched and fresh tears were forming in her eyes. Aang bowed his head.

"I'm sorry old friend… I didn't mean it like th-"

"It's okay Twinkletoes," Toph interrupted, sighing. "I know what you meant. I'm just to the brink of craziness here. My only daughter…" she paused, unable to go on.

Katara walked over from her place by her husband to put a sympathetic hand on Toph's shoulder. Her blue eyes were still sparkling with tears. "We understand. If it was Tenzin sick instead of Lin, the both of us, Aang and I, would be the same way. We're going to help you and Lin in every way we can. You've just got to listen to us when we try to though. Closing up and doing nothing isn't going to help your daughter. It won't help her at all. You, Toph, have to be active in your daughter's fate, otherwise, her fate will remain the same and she WILL die."

The Chief of Police nodded numbly before wiping her eyes with her green tunic.

"Well, if you and Aang believe that Lin's best chances lie with a doctor, then I'll go along with it, for her sake only. But if something goes wrong, that doctor will wish he never messed with a Beifong in the first place."

Aang and Katara laughed before enveloping their friend in a tight hug, just like they used to do back when they were kids.

"Guys, I'm not going to be of any help to my daughter if you choke me to death first!"

~ ~ O ~ ~

Lin hadn't sat in her mother's lap in a long time, but today was an exception. She was about to see a doctor for something other than a mere checkup, an experience she had never had before as Aunt Katara had always been able to cure any of her minor colds and injuries. She would never admit it, but she was scared to death.

"Lin Beifong?"

The little earthbender gulped as she looked over to see a lady in blindingly white scrubs beckoning for her to come. She didn't appear evil; the metal doors behind her did though.

"Come on kiddo. Get off my lap so I can get up." her mother grumbled. Lin obliged and hopped off her mom's lap. Her head hurt as she did so, but she didn't show it… She didn't want her family to worry more than they already were.

Her mom slowly got up, the straight metal backed chair she was sitting in creaking as she did so. The two Beifongs then, hand in hand, walked to the lady in white, who pushed open the metal doors for them. They didn't look back as they entered in.

~ ~ O ~ ~

The doors shut with the clang and the remainder of those left in the waiting room flinched in shock. Tenzin stood up to see if he could spot Lin and Toph through the small, tinted windows on the doors. He couldn't.

"Don't worry Tenzin. Your girlfriend's gonna be fine! She's a fighter, a mean one at that."

He looked behind him to see his older brother Bumi smiling at him, a little uncertainly though. The rest of his family was doing the same…

Truth to be told, all of them were scared for the little earthbender.

~ ~ O ~ ~

Before Lin could be put in a room to wait for the doctor, she had to go through all sorts of preliminaries. She was weighed, measured, prodded, and poked amongst some things. Not to mention, they stuck weird things in her mouth, and shone small lights in her eyes and ears . None of those things did anything to help her headache. In fact, it actually intensified within that short period of time. But finally, she was assigned to Room Three, where the doctor would be meeting with them shortly, much to both of the Beifong girls' relief. The two of them had already had enough of the insanely ordered, disgustingly clean, and needle infested hospital.

"Alright, Lin, if you would just lie down on that bed over there. Good girl! Chief Beifong, you can sit in one of our comfortable arm chairs on either side. Also, if you would like me to, I can summon a Blind Assistance Aide to help you around the hospital." The nurse who had escorted them into the room said. She was standing at the edge of the open door, waiting for an answer.

"No, I do not need a Blind Assistance Aide thank-you very much! I can see just perfectly." The Chief replied indignantly as she crossed to one of the armchairs. The whole city should've known by now that the blind Chief of Police could see perfectly well.

"Alrighty then. The doctor should be with you soon." The nurse left and closed the door, leaving Lin and Toph both in giggles.

"Blind Assistance Aide my butt." Toph snorted before stretching her stiff arms. Her legs remained firmly planted to the ground though so she could see if Lin tried to run for it or anything. Not that she blamed her daughter though. Toph would be trying to escape herself if she were in Lin's position.

"I'm not going to run, Mom. I'm braver than that." Lin replied, her laughing spell now over. She was shaking with silent fear now.

"I sure hope not! You won't get your lollipop if you do!" Lin looked up from her bed to see the door open, revealing the person whose voice they had just heard. It was a person that neither Toph or Lin expected to see, or well sense, in Toph's case.

It was Ryu, the only son of Zuko and Mai.

~ ~ O ~ ~

"Ryu!" Lin exclaimed, crawling down to the edge of the hospital bed. "What are you doing here?"

"That's Dr. Ryu to you, young miss." he replied winking before closing the door behind him. "I graduated from medical school almost a year ago. I was going to tell everyone at this year's Team Avatar Reunion, but I guess the spirits had something different in mind."

Both Lin and Toph laughed. Ryu, unlike his parents, was socially graceful, fun-loving, and quite the romancer. He was more like his Great Uncle Iroh than anyone.

"It's good to see you Ryu." Her mom said as she stood up to give her friend's son a quick punch before sitting down. Ryu looked over at her with a mixture of pain and confusion.

"It's a sign of-" Lin began, but was interrupted.

"affection, I know. My dad told me… I didn't think it'd hurt that hard though."

The two Beifong girls just collapsed into giggles again before Lin stopped abruptly. Her head was beginning to throb again.

"Oh yes, I'd better get on with the checkup." Ryu, motioned for Toph to go sit back in her armchair, which she did, and replaced the Chief of Police's spot on the bed, next to Lin. That anxiety which had gone away at seeing the Fire Lord's son, was now back and stronger than ever.

The doctor took out a simple notepad and a sharpened piece of charcoal out of the front pocket of his long white coat. He glanced up at Lin before writing a few things down. Things she tried to peer over and read, but they were too complicated, the words were. She could only decipher the symbols for 'Patient' and those of her own name.

"Now Lin, will you describe your symptoms for me?" he asked, glancing up once more.

The ebony haired girl obliged with a nervous smile. "This morning, I woke up with a severe headache. It got stronger almost every time I moved. We went to go see Aunt Katara to see if she could fix it, but she couldn't…" she then thought for a moment before adding, "The pain lessened sometimes."

Ryu nodded and scribbled something down before asking, "Anything else?"

Lin shook her head while her mom nodded hers. "There's one more thing Ryu, but I'd rather tell you in private." Lin tensed up. "It's nothing serious!" Toph added. "Katara just asked me if I would disclose it in private though."

And thus, Lin, the _patient_, was kicked out of the room.

~ ~ O ~ ~

Lin was summoned back into the room only a few minutes later, much to her relief. Nurses, doctors, patients, visitors, all of them had been staring at her weirdly. Well, she had looked stupid after all, standing out in the middle of the hallway with no one to accompany her.

But that was the past, and in the present, Dr. Ryu was giving his final comments.

"What you told me Toph, has me disconcerted, but since she isn't showing serious symptoms yet, I can't do anything else except for sending her home with some herbal medicines. If she worsens though, come back _immediately_. I'll schedule a checkup in about a month so I can see how she's doing."

Lin's mom looked disconcerted as well. "Why can't we do something now though? I don't want to wait until something horrible happens for me to able to bring her up her again!"

"I'm sorry, but it's hospital policy. I can't do anything about it without risking my job, other peoples' jobs, _and_ the hospital's system… Just give her the medicine daily and have Katara give her waterbending sessions regularly up until the appointment… That's all I can do or recommend as of now."

Toph sighed dejectedly and grasped onto Lin's hand. "Fine then, but this news isn't making me real happy."

Ryu nodded. "I know. I'm doing the best I can though."

_Well, your best is not enough apparently,_ thought Lin snappily. She was leaving the hospital virtually the same as she came. In pain.

"Well, we'd better leave. Aang, Katara, and their kids are in the waiting room." Toph said, her voice full of resigned bitterness. Lin could see age lines appearing on her mother's face, something that only happened when she was upset.

"Alright, I'll come with you." Ryu replied, his face alighting once more. "I haven't seen everyone in a long time."

So the trio walked out of Room Three and down the hallway. The scary metal doors were soon in sight… So were several female nurses and doctors who had stopped in their buisness to get a good look at Ryu, who was so handsome with his jet black hair and golden eyes. It annoyed Lin, most weirdly. She usually didn't care about what others thought of her or the people around her...

They exited through the metal doors and the whole group who had been waiting, stood up, anxious expressions on their faces. There was also one dumbstruck on Kya's face after seeing Ryu, but that was the only exception.

Ryu, with Toph's permission, gave them a vague idea of what was going on, and what needed to be completed in the event that Lin got worse. Everyone nodded, understanding the concept of what he was saying, but not completely understanding every word. Hugs were then exchanged, a kiss on the cheek from Ryu in Kya's case, and the crew then left the hospital.

Their expressions still remained anxious.

One girl's expression especially.

And no, it was not Kya's.

**A/N: Wow, this took me a long time to do! I hope you guys like it!**

**Ryu= Variation of Ryuu, which means dragon.**

**In the next chapter, things are going to get more interesting. I promise! Lin is going to change. A lot.**

**If I'm not doing Lin's sickness justice enough, please let me know.**

**One last thing! Thank-you for reviewing! I have appreciated each and every one of them. I look forward to reading more.**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

A small, almost unnoticeable smile played on Lin's lips as she snuggled closer to Tenzin. He flinched at the sudden closeness before relenting and wrapping his skinny arms around her. The usually grounded and unmovable earthbender began to feel all tingly and airy inside, something that made her shiver somewhat excitedly, and yet, somewhat nervously. Tenzin immediately noticed her movement.

"Are you cold?" he asked, his gray eyes shining down at her concernedly. Lin nodded before leaning her head even more further into his soft, warm chest. The airbender responded with an awkward smile, the one she found rather irresistible…

Her mother had been wrong; flying on a sky bison wasn't all that bad.

Toph, after quite an argument with Aang and Katara, had finally agreed to let them fly the two Beifongs back to their house from the hospital… But things were not as they seemed.

The Beifong house was located to the left of Appa, and yet, they were going to the right. The Yue Bay and Air Temple Island were quickly coming into Lin's line of vision.

"Aunt Katara, why are we heading back to your place?" Lin asked, her vivid green eyes turning to look at the avatar's wife. In the dim light of the stars, the ten-year old could make out a rather guilty expression on Katara's face as she stroked the heads of her two eldest children. They were resting in her lap, or well, had been resting in her lap. Kya and Bumi shot up at the sound of Toph's voice.

"Yeah Sugar Queen! Why exactly are we heading back to your place?" she inquired, her face twisting into the beginnings of anger… Lin scooted closer to Tenzin as if doing so would help her to avoid her mother's wrath.

"Well, uh, Aang and I-"

"Sweetie, I'd prefer if you'd not bring me into this! It _was_ your idea!" called Aang from the front, never looking around… He could tell that his wife was glaring daggers at him.

"Thanks for the support, _sweetie._"

"No problem."

"Why are we heading to your place?" Toph asked again, this time more insistently. The listening kids shrunk at the forceful tone.

"Okay, okay. So I thought it'd be best if you and Lin stayed at Air Temple Island for the night." The glare Katara got from the Chief of Police's unseeing milky green eyes made the waterbending master shrink in her seat as well.

"What do you _mean_ you thought it would be _better _if we stayed at the island?"

Lin cringed as her mother's shrill voice drilled into her head, invoking another headache. And if the earthbender wasn't mistaken, she could feel a bit of nausea coming on too…

"Well, I wanted to be able to check up on Lin if she needed it!" Katara replied, her voice acquiring a defensive edge to it.

Aang was distinctly reminded of the arguments the two women had participated in, back when they were kids… Good times, good times.

"So are you implying that I can't take care of my own daughter?" Toph shot, now standing up. Lin watched, horrified, but fascinated as her mother advanced towards Katara, her black hair blowing crazily in the rough wind... The little earthbender quickly had to look downwards though. The sight of open air was making her stomach even more sick than it already was. She felt like she was ready to throw-up.

"No, that's not what I meant Toph!" Katara replied, standing up herself. She didn't cut as much as a tall and imposing figure as she had back as teenager. Toph was taller than her this time. "It's just…"

"Just what Sugar Queen?" The metalbender challenged, her hands beginning to assume a fighting stance. Three of the four kids watched in awe at the two women, Lin being occupied with something else. The Avatar though, decided that this argument had been going on long enough.

"Ladies, sit down! You're gonna get blown off of Appa if you don't!" Aang yelled, looking behind at the two bickering women. "Now both of you, stop behaving like kids! I know that you're tired and worried and irritated, but that's no excuse to be snapping at one another's throats. Besides,"

Aang stopped, his eyes suddenly drawn to his kids. They weren't staring at their mother anymore… They were hovering over Lin, a ghostly pale Lin who was clutching her stomach and vomiting, directly on Tenzin's tunic.

The Avatar suddenly regretted signing up for Tenzin's Laundry duty.

~ ~ O ~ ~

Toph and Katara stood shock still for a moment before springing into action, their petty argument long forgotten. Their only focus right now was Lin.

"Aang get us to the island as fast as you can! Kya, Bumi, find me some blankets! There may be some in one of those bags over there. Tenzin, try to airbend as much vomit off of you as you can! NOW!" Katara directed, springing into healer mode. She kneeled down beside the still-vomiting Lin, who was now on her hands and knees, unable to control herself, and Toph, who was rubbing her daughter's back comfortingly. Pain flitted on both of the Beifongs' faces.

"Lin, listen to me. I can't do much right now because we're in the air, but I need you to try to stop vomiting. Okay?"

The sickly child nodded before closing her mouth and clutching her stomach once more. She felt weak. Really weak.

"Mom, we could only find one blanket." Kya said, coming up to the trio. She held out a thin, blue blanket which the waterbending master accepted before shooing her daughter off. The last thing they needed was for one of her children to slip in a pile of puke… It would take forever to get to smell out.

Katara then wrapped Lin up in the blanket before scooting her over to Toph who grabbed her up in her arms with an intensity that could be related to, only by another parent. The waterbender watched as tears slid down her old friend's cheeks as she cradled her daughter in her arms, not caring that she was getting vomit all over herself.

It was a beautiful sight…

Katara could only hope there would be many more sights like such to come… For Lin _and _her mother's sake.

~ ~ O ~ ~

They arrived on the island five minutes later. Toph and Katara whisked Lin off to a private room whilst everyone else except for Aang had to rinse off and change clothes. The Avatar would have to clean Appa's saddle later on so the kids weren't too angry about that.

They regrouped once more in the small living room outside of the place Katara was working in. Everyone was worried, no doubt about that… Tenzin topped the cake though with his frantic pacing and mumbling. Kya had finally had enough of it.

"Look Tenzin, I'm worried about Lin too! We're all worried about Lin. Pacing the floors, beating yourself up, it's not going to do anything at all except for add to the worry. So just chill, okay?" she said, giving her brother a look of concern. He still kept pacing.

"Your sister is right, Tenzin. Just try to be calm." Aang said, leaning back into his comfortable armchair. Bumi and Kya gave one another a look. They could tell that their dad was just as worried as Tenzin was… Possibly even more.

"You guys just don't get it. There's something seriously wrong with Lin and I can't do ANYTHING about it! She's my best friend! I can't lose her! I just can't. I wouldn't be the same without her… I'd lose it!" The eleven-year old said, plopping to the carpeted floor. Tenzin then put his head in his hands before beginning to rock back and forth, contemplating whether to say the thing he really wanted to say.

"I-I'd do more than lose it if I lost Lin… I'd die… I love her."

~ ~ O ~ ~

Kya was the first to speak.

"Do you really mean that brother?" she asked, her eyes examining her youngest sibling skeptically. Honestly, she thought that he was too youthful to actually be 'in love', but then again, her father had fallen in love with her mother at only the mere age of twelve, only a year old than Tenzin was now.

"Yes, I mean it!" he replied, looking up from his somewhat fetal position. His gray eyes were shining with an intensity only to be matched by Aang, who was staring at his only airbending son, a glint of pride in his eyes.

"Look, I may be still a child, but I know what love is… Love is the way my heart beats every time I see her. Love is the rage, the fury, whenever she gets hurt. Love is looking out of the window each night, wondering if she's looking at the same view. Love is even playing tag, smiling because you know that you'll be chasing her and she'll be chasing you, on and on, never wearying. Love is what I feel for Lin, and no one should challenge that, my family especially." he said, his eyes staring each in turn, at his two siblings and father. "I don't know if she feels the same way, but I'm going to keep feeling the way I feel. And I'm not going to stop, even until my dying breath."

There was no sound to be heard, even after Tenzin had stopped. His family was too busy staring at him with a mixture between awe and surprise. They had never heard the eleven-year old speak so passionately about something, and they were surprised that such words could come out of his mouth so truthfully. It was Aang who spoke up next.

"Tenzin, I'm proud of you son. You just did something that took me forever and a day to do myself." he said, thinking back to his hidden crush on Katara as a child. "But here's a bit of advice that a wise, and really old man once told me. In order to open yourself up, you have to let go of all earthly attachments."

Tenzin began to protest.

"No, I don't mean you have to lose your feelings about Lin. I mean that in order to think rationally and do what's best for her, you have to separate your feelings from her. It's a hard thing to do, I know. It took me a lightning bolt to the back to learn this lesson! But when it finally begins to sink in, you'll realize that you're doing more for Lin than you could have ever done had you been an emotion filled, angsty person… Just ask Uncle Zuko and he'll tell you the same! Do you get me now?"

There was no response for a moment, but finally Tenzin gave a slow nod.

"So you're saying that in order to love Lin, I have to let her go?" he asked, trying to confirm what he thought he just heard.

Aang smiled, his mind flooding with the memories of when he tried to understand this concept himself. "Yes, that's it in a nutshell." he paused and looked around at all of his children. "This not only applies to Tenzin; it applies to all of you. Remember this."

Bumi, Tenzin, and Kya nodded before becoming exceedingly quiet, absorbed in their own thoughts. The door leading into the room Lin was in opened soon afterwards.

Katara walked out.

And you could tell by looking at her face, things were not well.

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long! I've been procrastinating, plus, the characters haven't been making it any easier for me... I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but whenever I write, I feel like it's the characters who write the story, not me!**

**Lin wanted one thing, Toph another, and Tenzin, Tenzin just wanted a beard. xD**

**Anyway, enjoy and let me know how I did! **

**Oh yes, and if anyone noticed that self-review in 'Prologue', just ignore it. I had a stupid moment.**


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